1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a system and method to manage and implement change to a database field by a notification and approval process and, more specifically, registering and managing process dependencies on the database field.
2. Description of the Related Art
Master source databases are used to feed applications such as business processes and, in addition, are used for ad hoc information review. For example, business processes routinely access master source database for input to start and run business functions and/or to assist in making decisions.
However, the use and dependency requirements on the information contained within the master source databases, which are required to run the business processes, are seldom to never recorded. Thus, the knowledge of which database fields are required to run a particular business process is often limited to the original owners of the business process. Over the course of time, this knowledge deteriorates to the point that finally the reasons for supplying data to a particular business process and which process uses a particular database filed is forgotten or lost.
After the use and dependency requirements are marginalized, the ability to communicate to business process owners affected by changes to the database is difficult, impractical or impossible. Thus, a group introducing changes to the database may unintentionally and/or unavoidably making the business process invalid and/or obsolete. Conversely, business processes cannot easily communicate to the database when the business process no longer is dependent upon a particular dependency, thereby promulgating waste in the database.
In addition, business systems using relational databases require transfer bridges to move data from the downstream systems. Each movement of data to a separate system requires development and maintenance of a system specific bridge. As the use and dependency requirements change between master source database and data consumer, the original transfer bridge must be edited. However, transfer bridges are unique and require much maintenance and an understanding of the original use and dependencies. When this original knowledge of the decisions of how and why the transfer bridge was designed is lost, the maintenance and updating of the transfer bridge is time consuming and highly inefficient. Therefore, there is a need for a better method to manage use and/or dependency requirements.